Seed-planter.



No. 802,732. l PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905. J

A. S. BEYMER.

SEED PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.1. 19,05.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

M/ilasses/ @4%. www" No. 802,'732\ PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905. A. S.. BEYMEB.

SEED PLANTER.

APPLIGATION FILED rmx. 1. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

iL/31E@ incr:

NoL 802,732.

PA'FENTED OCT. 24, 1905.

A. S. BEYMER.

SEED PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 1. 1905.

3 SEEEISfSHEET 3.

o6 Mtn-Q53@ mnniw a nimm co, Puomunmcmvuln wAsnmcmM. n c.

TIWUT 1.1

STATES ADELBERT S. BEYMER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

SEED-PLANTER..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed February 1 l 1905. Serial No. 243,760.

.To afl/1 m7111111/ 'z/f Trl/Cty concern.'

Be it known that I, ADnLBnR'r S. BnYMnR, a citizen of the United States, residingat Kansas (lity, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planters, of which the following' is a specification.

This invention relates to seed-planters, and more especially to that class adapted 'for use as a drill or as a drill attachment 'for a listerplow, and my object is to produce a machine o'l" this character which operates eiliciently and reliably and is of simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive construction.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the aceolm'ianying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my drill mechanism when used as an attachment 'for a listerplow, the seedbox and plow being' omitted and other parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line II II of Fig. 1 and includes the seed-hopper. Fig. 3 is a section on the line III I II of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a vertical central longitudinal section of the stationary seedboX-'frame and the hinged frame carried by said stationary frame and also shows the seed-tube carried by said supporting-frame. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line V V of Fig. 1 and also shows the seedbox mounted upon said supportingframe. Fig'. 6 is a side elevation of the machine when used independently of the listerplow. the hinged frame. Fig'. 8 is a detail perspective view, on an enlarged scale, 0i' a bearing carried by said hinged frame. Fig. 9 is a side view of the companion bearing to that illustrated in'Fig. 8. Fig. l() is a vertical section on the. dotted line X o'f Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a section on line Xl of Fig'. l. Fig. 12 is a horizontal section on the dotted line XII of Fig'. 6. Fig'. 13 is a section on line XIII of Fig. 3. Fig'. 14 is a perspective View oi' the fixed or stationary frame.

Referring to the drawings in detail, where like reference characters refer to corresponding' parts in all the figures, a cast-metal frame comprises the vertical side portions 1, connected by the substantially semicircular and horizontally-disposed portion 2 at the lower rear corners, and secured to said rear portion by a U-shaped clamp-bolt 3 is a seed-tube fl.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of' Projecting outwardly, forwardly, and upwardly from the right-hand side of the frame is an arm 5, and hinged thereto, as at 7, is a seedboX 6, of the usual or any preferred type, said box having' a projecting' lug 8 diametrically opposite from its hinge-point adapted to lit between parallel lugs 9, projecting' outwardly and rearwardly from the left side of the frame, a spring-Cotter or its eqivalent being utilized to secure the seedbox in a horizontal position by extending' through said lug's 8 and 9. Projecting' forwardly and inwardly by preference from one side of the frame is an arm 11, terminating' in a bearing 12 for the short shaft 13, equipped with a bevel-gear 14 at its front end and with a loop 15 at its rear end, the bevelgear meshing with the circular rack 15, formed with or secured to the rotative seed-plate 15" of the seed -hopper, so that rotation imparted by gear-pinion 14 to said rack shall effect the periodic dropping of seed from the hopper in the usual manner, the seed passing' through the tube 16, which has its lower end fitting in the upper end of the tube Il: and also has an opening' or window 17 in its rear side in order that the dropping' seed may be observed by the operator. Projecting inwardly from the front margin of each side portion of the frame is a flange 18, which flanges serve to stiffen the casting, but principally to interlock with the shoulders 20, formed at the rear end of the drag-bar 19, the drag-bai' being supported at the desired elevation by means of the cross-bolt 21, carried by the frame, the engaging' shoulders and ila nges preventing the pivotal movement of the drag-bar on bolt 21. In the construction shown in Figs. l and 2 the drag-bar is bolted, as at 22, to the beam 23 of a lister-plow, (not shown,) whereas in Fig. 6 the drag-bar may be formed integ'ral with the runner 24 and also by preference have the integral forward extension 25 terminating' in a rearwardly-disposed hoolQG, the usual gagewheel 27 being' journaled in a frame 28, rig'- idly secured1 to and depending from the dragbar extension 25, the gage-wheel being' disposed in the vertical plane of the runner. Vhen the machine is used as an attachment to the lister-plow, it is provided with a subsoiler or 'furrow-opener 29, the shank or stem of the same extending' down through the drag-bar and being clamped rigidly thereto by the slotted wedge 3l, mounted upon bolt 32, carried by said drag-bar.

A casting hereinafter referred to as a ICO hinge-frame, because it is hinged to the stationary frame which supports the seedbox and bears a rigid relation to the plow or runner, is constructed as follows: 33 indicates a bed-plate having a central longitudinal groove 34 in its upper side and having forwardly-projecting arms 35 at opposite sides of said groove, said arms being' pivotally connected or hinged to the seedbox-supporting frame, as at 36` in order that said hinged frame may swing vertically without changing the position of the seedbox. At its end the plate is provided with segmental slots 37 and 38 and with vertical holes 39 and sockets 40, the sockets being in the upper side oi' the plate. Projecting' upward from the rear end of the plate is an arm 41, provided with a rearwardly-projecting arm 42, having a longitudinal slot 43 and transverse corrugations at its under side, as at 44.

45 indicates a boxing' having its lower side flattened to rest upon the bed-plate portion of the hinged frame at the right-hand side of groove 34 and provided with depending' studs 46, depending into sockets 40, and provided also between studs 46 with the cylindrical stud 47, which may rest upon said bed-plate' at a point axially of the curve described by the proximate slots 37 38, and said boxing is provided with an external groove 48, engaged by an inverted-U bolt or clip 49, which also extends through the registering holes 39, its lower ends being engaged by clamping-nu ts 50.

5l indicates a boxing companion to and of exactly the same construction as boxing 45, except that boxing 5l has a rearwardly-projecting' horiZontally-perforated ear 52 and has its rearmost stud 46 of somewhat larger size in order to strengthen ear 52 as much as possible, the corresponding socket 40 being made large enough to accommodate said stud, as shown clearly in Fig. 7. i

rlhe corresponding parts of the two boxings are similarly numbered, and boxing 5l is likewise secured to the bed-plate portion of the hinged frame at the opposite side oi' groove 34 from boxing 45 to the engaging studs and sockets and by a similar bolt or clip 49 and nuts 50, and in order that the hinged frame may be swung upward to inoperative position and there supported a link 53 is pivoted at its lower end to perforated ear 52 and at its upper end, as at 54, to a lever 55, fulcrumed, as at 56, upon an arm 57, projecting upwardly and rearwardly from the upper rear corner of the left-hand side l of the seedbox-supporting frame. The operator by raising lever 55 raises the hinged plate until the pivotal point 54 has assumed the position shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2, in which position it will remain because of the gravitative tendency of the plate. The lever is reversed to restore the plate to its original position. Only the lever and link are shown in dotted position, but all ot' the parts carried by the hinged frame will of course be elevated by raising the lever.

58 indicates a wheel, preferably a bevel gear-wheel, provided with a cylindrical hub portion 59, journaled in the bearing formed by boxings 45 and 5l, it being obvious that the gear-wheel must be disposed in proper relation to the boxings before the latter can be clamped to the pivoted frame. In its preferred form said hub portion of the wheel is provided with the intersecting passages 60 oblong rectangular in cross-section, and fitting slidingly in said passages are a pair of stapleshaped bars 61, disposed at right angles to each other.

62 indicates a pair oi' swing-plates resting on the hinged frame and having holes 63 pivotally engaged bythe depending cylindrical or pivot studs 47 of boxings 45 and 51 and having depending hooks 64 at their outer ends engaging the opposite ends and under sides of the bed-plate portion ot' said frame` and said plates, furthermore, are equipped with vertical bolts 65 66, extending through spacingsleeves 67 occupying slots 37 38, the length of said sleeves exceeding the thickness of bed-plate portion 33 slightly. Fitting upon titting thereon between upper washers 70L and the pivot-plate is a spacing-sleeve 7l, similar to sleeve 67, and pivoted upon sleeve 7l without being clamped between washers 70 and the swing-plates are rearwardly-converging links 72, which are pivoted together at their rear ends upon bolt 73, extending through the slot 43 of arm 42 ot' the hinged frame and engaged at its upper end by the washer 74 and wingnut 75, a clamping-block 76, having its upper face corrugated, as at 77, to engage the corrugations 44, being mounted upon bolt 73 and interposed between the same and links 72 to guard against any possibility of the toggle, composed of said links and the bolt 73, moving bodily or expanding or contracting accidentally and through the action of the parts imposing pressure upon the swing-plates, it being obvious from the construction illustrated in Figs. 10 and ll that a wide and strong' bearing connection is thus effected with the swing-plates without clamping them down upon the hinge-frame. It is only necessary, preliminary to adjusting said plates, to slightly unscrew the wing-nut 75, and it is apparent that the toggle connection invariably elfects an equal adjustment oi" said plates. lf desired, I may dispense with the toggle connection and the parts necessarily cooperating therewith andclamp the pivot-plates at the desired point oi' adjustment by means of bolts 65 and 66 alone, the spacing-sleeves 67 and 7l being of course omitted.

IOO

soar/s2 78 indicates boxings formed integrally with or secured rigidly to the plates 62 and extending radially of pivot-studs 47 therefor, the axial centerI of the boxing registering with that of the hub of wheel 58, and said boxings are provided with diametric enlargements 79, formed with circular sockets 8O in their outer faces.

81 indicates shafts journaled in boxing's 78, and secured upon said shafts beyond the outer ends of said boxings by linehpins 82 or otherwise are the closed metallic hubs 83 of disks 8a of the usual or any preferred type, and said hubs are journaled in annular sockets 8O and are also provided with sockets 85 to receive the outer ends of boxings 78. By this construction long and therefore strong and du rable bearings are provided for the disks. The inner ends of the shafts 81 terminate in eyes 86, disposed at right angles to each other, and interlock with the staple-shaped bars 61, so as to constitute a flexible shaft comprising outer portions 81 and the central expansible and contractible portion, the latter consisting1 of the wheel-hub and the slidable staple-shaped bars, this extensible and eontractible shaft-section compensating' for wear or irregularities in the proportions of the parts.

Fitted upon the inner ends of boxings 78 and upon the eyes 86 of the disk-shafts are caps 87, which serve to exclude dirt from the boxings and also receive the end thrust of the disks, some means obviously being' necessary to take up such thrust, as otherwise the disks would be free to move apart, as the staple-bars of the central or connecting shaft are free to be withdrawn from the hub por tion of said shaft, as will be obvious b v reference to Fig'. 3.

88 indicates a bearing' integral with or otherwise rigidly secured to the pivoted frame and extending' in longitudinal alinement with bearing' 12, the plane of said bearings intersecting that of hinge-points 36. Journaled in bearing 88 is a shaft 89, carrying' a bevelgear 90, meshing' with gear 58 and having an eye 91 pivotally interlocked with eye 15 of shaft 13, the relation being such that shaft 89 hinges on shaft 15 whenever the operator by the manipulation, hereinbefore described, of lever raises the hinged frame, and hence the disks, to inoperative position.

In the practical operation of the machine as exemplified by Figs. 1 and 2, the seedbox is supported rigidly from the plow, which turns a furrow, as usual, leaving' the disks set at the angle shown in Fig'. 1 or at any other desired angle to perform the dual function of turning the soil inward to cover the seed and of rotating the seedbox-plate, it being apparent that the liexible shaft employed insures the regular discharge of the seed as long as one of the disks is revolving, and that because of the employment of the flexible shaft A 13 89 the disks are free to rise and fall in accommodating themselves to irregularities in the surface of the ground without interfering with the operation of the seedbox mechanism.

With thetype of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the operator controls the machine by grasping the usual plow-handles. (Not shown.) lVith the type of construction shown in Fig. (5 plates 92 are mounted on pivots 21 between the hinged and stationary frames and are provided with inwardly-pro jecting flanges 93 to engage the front edges of the last-named frame to prevent pivotal movement of said plates, suitable handles 94 being secured to and projecting upwardly and rearwardly from said plates for the control of the machine, as shown most clearly in Figs. 6 and 12. r1`he disks can be adjusted to varying angles, as hereinbefore described, and may be disposed in a parallel relation, so as to perform the function of driving-wheels only; but in this ease the usual or any equivalent devices must be employed to cover the seed dropped through the seed-tube.

To obtain convenient access to the bottom of the seedbox for any purpose at any time and without regard to the positions of the disks the seedbox is so hinged upon arm 5 that it may be swung downward and'outward without coming in contact with the proximate disk, the arrangement being' such that it swings forward as well as laterally for the purpose of avoiding the disk.

From the above description it will be apparent that l have produced a seed-plantel' which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable and which obviously is susceptible of various modifications in its form, proportion, detail construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the principle of construction involved.

Having' thus described the invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a frame, a seedbox carried thereby and provided with a seed-dropping' mechanism, a frame suitably hinged for vertical movement and projecting rearwardly from the first-named frame, a flexible shaft carried by the hinged frame and suitably journaled, disks carried by and rotatable with the iiexible shaft, and means for transmitting motion from the liexible shaft to the seed-dropping mechanism.

2. ln an agricultural machine, a flexible shaft comprisinga central portion capable of variation in length and suitably journaled, outer portions having universal-joint connections at their inner ends with the opposite ends of the central portion, disks mounted on and rotatable with the said outer portions, and adjustable boxings for said outer portions.

3. ln an agricultural machine, a flexible shaft comprising a central portion suitably IOO lIO

ISO

journaled, outer portions having universaljoint connections at their inner ends with the opposite ends of the central portion, cultivating-disks secured upon and rotatable With said outer portions, pivoted boxings for said outer portions, and caps fitting rotatably upon the inner ends of the boxings and secured to the inner ends of the outer portions of the flexible shaft, to relieve the central portion of the end-thrust strains of said shaft.

4f. In an agricultural machine, a flexible shaft comprising a central portion suitably journaled, outer portions having universaljoint connections at their inner ends with the opposite ends of the central portion, cultivating-disks surrounding said outer portions, hubs secured to said disks and upon the outer ends of said shaft portions and also projecting inwardly through the disks and provided with sockets, adjustable boxings carrying said shafts and projecting' into said hub-sockets and provided With sockets receiving the inner ends of said hubs, and caps journaled upon the inner ends of the boxings and rigidly secured to the inner ends of the outer portions of the shaft.

5. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a frame, a seedbox carried thereby and provided with a seed-dropping plate, a frame hing'ed for movement in a vertical plane to said first-named frame and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a flexible shaft carried by said hing'ed frame and consisting of a central transverse portion suitably7 journaled and outer portions universally jointed at their inner ends to the outer ends of the central portion, disks carried by and rotatable with said outer portions of the shaft, suitable boxings for said outer shaft portions carried by the hing'ed frame, and means for transmitting motion from the central portion of the shaft to the seed-dropping plate.

6. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a frame, a seedbox carried thereby and provided with a seed-dropping plate, a frame hinged for movement in a vertical plane to said first-named frame and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a flexible shaft carried by said hinged frame and consisting of a central transverse portion suitably journaled and outer portions universally jointed at their inner ends to the outer ends of the central portion, disks carried by and Yrotatable with said outer portions of the shaft, suitable boxings for said outer shaft portions carried by the hinged frame, means for transmitting motion from the central portion of the shaft to the seed-dropping plate, and a hinge-joint in said power-transmitting mechanism occurring in alinement with the pivotal point of the hinged frame.

7. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a frame, a seedbox carried thereby and provided With a seed-dropping plate, a frame hinged for movement in a vertical plane to said first-named frame and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a flexible shaft carried by said hinged frame and consisting of a central transverse portion suitably journaled and outer portions universally jointed at their inner ends to the outer ends of the central portion, disks carried by and rotatable with said outer portions of the shaft, suitable boxings for said outer shaft portions, carried by the hinged frame, means for transmitting motion from the central portion of the shaft to the seed-dropping plate, a hinge-joint in said power-transmitting mechanism occurring in alinement With the pivotal point of the hingeframe, and means for vertically moving said hinged frame.

8. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a frame, a seedbox carried thereby and provided with a seed-dropping' plate, a frame hinged for movement in a vertical plane to said first-named frame and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a fiexible shaft carried by said hinged frame and consisting' of a central transverse portion suitably journaled and outer portions universally jointed at their inner ends to the outer ends of the central portion, disks carried by and rotatable with said outer portionsA of the shaft, suitable boxings for said outer shaft portions, carried by the hinged frame, means for transmitting motion from the central portion of the shaft to the seed-dropping plate, a hing'e-joint in said power-transmitting mechanism occurring in alinement with the pivotal point of the hingeframe, a lever suitably fulcrumed from the first-named frame, and a pivoted link between said lever and the hinged frame.

9. In an agricultural machine', the combination of a frame, a seedbox carried thereby and provided with a seed-drop ping' plate, a frame hinged for movement in a vertical plane to said first-named frame and projecting' rearwardly therefrom, a fiexible shaft carried by said hinged frame and consisting' of a central transverse portion suitably journaled, and outer portions universally jointed at their inner ends to the outer ends of the central portion, disks carried by and rotatable with said outer portions of the shaft, suitable boxings for said outer shaft portions carried by the hinged frame, a gear-Wheel rigid With the central portion of the shaft, a flexible shaft journaled in bearings carried by the tivo frames and having its flexible point in axial alinement With the pivotal point of the hinge, and bevel-gears upon said shaft, one meshing' With the first-named bevel-g'ear and the othe'r geared to the seed-dropping plate.

l0. In an agricultural machine,the combination of a frame suitably supported and fixed with relation to its support, a seedbox hinged to and supported by said frame and having a seed-dropping plate, means for detachably securing the seedbox rigidly upon the frame, a hinged frame carried by the first-named soar/se frame having vertical movement, a flexible shaft journaled upon the hinged frame, disks carried by and rotatable with the flexible shaft, means for adjusting the flexible shaft to dispose the disks at varying' angles or parallel with each other, and means for transmitting motion from the iieXible shaft to the seeddropping plate.

ll. 'In an agricultural machine,the combination of a frame suitably supported, a seedbox hinged to and supported by said frame and having a seed-dropping plate, means for detachably securing the seedbox rigidly upon the frame, a hinged frame carried by the lirstnamed frame having vertical movement, a iieXible shaft journaled upon the hinged frame, disks carried by and rotatable with the flexible shaft, means for adjusting the lexible shaft to dispose the disks at varying angles or parallel with each other, means for transmitting motion from the flexible shaft to the seed-dropping plate, and means for operating' the hinged frame.

12. In an agricultural machine,the combination of a lister-ploW, a drag-bar carried thereby, a subsoiler carried by the drag-bar, a

frame carried rigidly by the drag-bar, a seedbox having a seed-dropping plate supported by said frame, a frame hinged at its front end to the seedboX-supporting frame for vertical movement, cooperating disks on either side oi' and carried by said hinged frame, and means for transmitting motion from said disks to the seed-dropping plate.

13. In an agricultural machine, the combination of a lister-plow, drag-bar carried thereby, a subsoiler carried by the drag-bar, a frame carried rigidly by the drag-bar, a seedbox having a seed-dropping plate supported by said frame, a frame hinged at its front end to thc seedboX-supporting frame Yfor vertical movement, cooperating disks on either side of and carried by said hinged frame, means for transmitting motion from said disks to the seed-dropping plate, and means for adjusting the disks so as to vary their covering capacity.

In testimony whereof I a'l'HX my signature in the presence ot' two witnesses.

ADELBERT S. BEYMER.

Witnesses:

H. C. RoDGnns, G. Y. THonrE. 

